Flood alerts are issued when flooding is possible in any given region or area and people are asked to be prepared for potential bad weather.

Flood warnings are made when flooding is expected imminently and immediate action is required.

Severe flood warnings are issued when there is danger to life.

A Barge sinks on the River Ouse in North Yorkshire. Credit: @krag11/Krag

An Environment Agency spokeswoman said rivers in the North were rising quite quickly following the rain that has already fallen.

And she said: "We are reminding people not to walk in flood water, and not to drive through flood water because people have to be rescued and it provides a challenge for emergency services who could be deployed elsewhere, and it's very dangerous."

Residents in Morpeth, Northumberland, were being evacuated "as a precaution" as the floodwater rose, while in St Helens around 10 people and a cat and dog had to be rescued in inflatable rafts after their homes flooded.

In Hebden Bridge which has been hit by serious floods twice this summer, people have not been evacuated but waters were rising and the Environment Agency said it had teams and pumps on standby to tackle flooding.

Flood water covers the A1 road in both directions near Darlington. Credit: ITV Tyne Tees

A Northumbria Police spokeswoman said: "Residents in an area of Morpeth are being evacuated as a precaution.

"We are working with the local authority to take them to an alternative location."

On the roads in the North East, the Highways Agency said, the A1 northbound was closed near Catterick and in Tyne and Wear. Other major roads including the A66 near Darlington and the A19 in Tyne and Wear were also affected.

Drivers on the A1 at Dunston, Gateshead, had to be rescued from their cars by police, an ITV journalist said.

Rachel Sweeney, who works for Tyne Tees television, said on Twitter: "My car is stuck! I'm in a van with a prisoner and two cops called Emma and Alec!"

She said she had to jump in her high heels into the police vehicle.

A bus is submerged in rain water in Gateshead today. Credit: ITV Tyne Tees

The Wear burst its banks at Cone Terrace, Chester-le-Street, County Durham, police said.

And there were disruptions on a number of rail lines in northern England, including the East Coast line where train services were suspended for a time between Newcastle and Edinburgh because of the heavy rain before restarting a limited service with major delays.

The Met Office said some areas had received far more rain than they would expect in September since Sunday, with Ravensworth in North Yorkshire receiving 108mm (4.3 inches) compared to the usual total for the month of 47mm (1.9 inches).

The heavy rain is due to a area of low pressure which had moved north across the country from the Bay of Biscay and was now off the north-east coast. Today it would be moving south-west again to the west of Wales bringing more rain to northern England and Wales, the Met Office said.

Motorists make their way through flood water in Washington, Tyne and Wear. Credit: Owen Humphreys/PA Wire/Press Association Images

About 30 to 40 residents in Newburn, Newcastle, were evacuated from their homes, and Mill Lane in the area has been cordoned off after it collapsed.

On the A690 westbound, just off the A19 west of Sunderland, Northumbria Police said the road had collapsed and was likely to remain closed "for some time".

Supt Dave Byrne said: "We are continuing to get a lot of calls - we will respond to all of them - only use the 999 service in an emergency situation and please be patient, we have a lot of officers out on the ground helping keep people safe."